How not to go crazy in a steel can in the middle of the ocean?

What is it:yes, four hundred peasants, a big metal can (I mean auxiliary cruiser of the Third Reich), the vastness of the oceans and 351 days without even looking at even a scrap of land? I am telling you - this is the cruiser "Kormoran" prowling the seas in search of prey. Almost a year on the cruise. How not to go crazy in such a situation? You have to have fun!

Usually, when we read somewhere about German soldiers during World War II, we get a handful of information about those nasty Nazis, yuck every inch. Many of us forget that there were also ordinary people who found ourselves in unusual situations. It is even clearer in the case of sailors and we will take them for the wallpaper today.

I have just finished reading "Kormoran Cruiser", the memories of one of the German ship commanders, Theodor Detmers. The title auxiliary cruiser sailed the seas and oceans for 352 days, tasked with intercepting units belonging to the enemies of the Third Reich. In fact, the voyage itself was rather monotonous - they sailed, they sailed, sometimes they caught a ship carrying supplies, other times one that was going for supplies. They took a canary from one ship, and a monkey from another. The meeting of "your" submarine, to which they sometimes tossed fish (as Detmers calls torpedoes), or a small rendez vous , turned out to be a huge diversion. with a provisioning unit. What was the crew of the "Kormoran" doing in order not to go crazy walking on the deck measuring 164 by 20 meters in the middle of nowhere?

A pet is man's best friend

... unless it's a shark. Sailors and sharks have had quite specific relationships for centuries. Sharks love sea wolves, especially raw, fresh in the water and somehow it looks completely different the other way. The sailors - being aware that one day their ship may sink and they will land in the water - sincerely hate these powerful predators who eagerly hunt survivors. When the "Cormorant" entered the waters full of sharks, one of the crew's favorite pastimes became fishing with a fishing rod and killing them on board. To make it more interesting, a shark fin (which at first stank mercilessly) was nailed to one of the masts. Sailors quickly found a use for shark teeth - they made necklaces of them. Even Captain Theodor Detmers received such an ornament from his subordinates, but instead of around his neck he wore his teeth on a captain's hat.

The article is based on the memoirs of Theodor Detmers entitled "Cormorant Cruiser" (Finna 2011).

Let's stay on the topic of pets. Quite a lot of them lived on "Kormoran". At the beginning, two dogs with the crew set out to sea - the fox terrier Struppi and the German shepherd dog Senta. Running on the deck, having fun, chasing seagulls and albatrosses provided the sailors with a bit of entertainment (they did not deliberately deal with prisoners). Senta was especially fond of the captain - she would come to the bridge and barking even forced him to devote at least a little attention to her and throw a piece of wood.

There were also prey on board:a bird and two monkeys. Winged, as winged are customary, lived in a cage and enjoyed the eyes of rather few people, while primates are a different story altogether. When the captain first saw a monkey named Tommy, he was convinced that it was some bizarre headdress of one of the new captives (the animal, frightened by the change of surroundings, curled up on its master's head and resembled a cap). Together with the other monkey, Tommy was a graceful sight. Their frolics and even the most ordinary activities (they often sparkled on the heated deck or slept huddled together) were great entertainment for the sailors.

Sea "Stille Nacht" and hello Mr. Neptune

Even while sailing the warm southern seas, the sailors could not forget about Christmas. Although the climate was not very conducive to this, the crew intended to celebrate as usual. The sailors decorated their quarters, and the officers organized a competition for the most beautiful Christmas decorations. There was also an award - for the author of the best one, half a bucket of various delicacies was prepared. The endless blue of the warm sea, mixing with the blue of the cloudless sky was not able to spoil the Christmas mood of the crew.

On board the "Kormoran" there was also the "Equatorial Baptism" ceremony. This specific ritual was primarily satirical and was practiced on virtually all ships, and every sailor crossing the equator for the first time had to undergo it. Neptune's soot-smeared guards scrubbed the deck, clearing the way for the emissary of the sea god Triton. The first important guest had come to check on the ship before his boss came to visit. For the occasion he put on an admiral coat, an elegant shirt with a bow-tie, and carried a large telescope under his arm, and of course, before reporting, he asked for something solid to drink and arranged himself so that he could barely stand up.

This is how equatorial baptism looked like on board the Polish sailing ship Lwów. You suspect that it was similar on Kormoran!

The next day, Neptune himself arrived with his wife (who had forgotten to shave) and his entourage. God praised some, rebuked others, and everyone he spoke to had to swallow a special bitter pill from the Court Medic's saddlebag. In addition, the "lucky ones" had to get rid of the dirt and all evil of the Northern Hemisphere. For this purpose, they were first washed one by one, then shaved with a huge razor (wooden of course), then they landed in the deck pool, where the washing process continued. After escaping on board, a strong stream of water from the hydrant, at the end a glass of delicious grog, and the delinquent was "baptized". The entire merry ceremony, watched by Neptune and the officers, lasted several hours. It was one of the joyful highlights of the whole cruise.

And how to cheer up every day?

The article is based on the memoirs of Theodor Detmers entitled "Cormorant Cruiser" (Finna 2011).

The captain and officers were constantly brainstorming to invent new entertainment for the crew. According to Detmers' memoirs, they focused primarily on the slogan "a healthy mind in a healthy body". That is why sports games reigned - a group of boxing on the ship was formed, several officers presented their skills in exercises and acrobatics on the stick, someone wrestled, others still fought with mops. The captain decided to organize a sports competition. The disciplines in which they competed were pole gymnastics, running with obstacles along the entire length of the ship (of course, the more sophisticated obstacles, the better), catching strange things with a fishing rod, the already mentioned mop fight, climbing an oil-smeared pole and similar competitions . The care for the condition of sailors is praised, but there was also something for the spirit.

On board the "Kormoran" there was a music group singing in German to the accompaniment mainly of an accordion. The band played a lot on board and received quite a lot of ovation. The auxiliary cruiser had its own cinema, seating 25 people, crammed together like sardines, but happy to see the movie. German seamen in search of entertainment did not just rely on their captain. Many of them found their own hobby. It was often handicraft, painting or modeling. Being aware of this, the commander of the ship decided to organize ... an exhibition of works by the crew. A committee was appointed to award prizes in each category, and the works of art themselves were presented for up to two weeks, so many people were eager to see them!

Sources:

• Theodor Detmers, Kormoran Cruiser , Oficyna Wydawnicza Finna, Gdańsk 2011

See also

1. And the Polish sailor always has wind in his eyes!
2. Nine drunk sailors and a big "boom!"
3. Scratching the mast and sweeping the sky - 19th century seafaring magic
4. The Soviet art of air shooting